Student Book Review:


The Red Badge of Courage -

Classic

by: Stephen Crane


Review done by:

 Matt Roe
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

The Red Badge of Courage is one of my favorite books this year. The book is about a boy named Henry who wants to go off and fight in the Civil War but his mom is trying to get him to stay home.
When Henry gets to the camp, the recruits that have been there for a while started playing jokes on the new recruits, but Henry didn't let that bother him. After Henry got passed the jokes a man named Jim kept telling the regiment that there was going to be a battle tomorrow, but there never was. So, when a battle came up, nobody believed him.
When Henry was in his first battle, he was scared and ran away but he regained his courage and went back. When he tried to find out why everybody was running away one of the men hit him in the head with the back of his musket. When Henry and the man who found him were walking along the road they came upon Henrys friend Jim who was lying in the middle of the road bleeding so Henry pulled him off to the side of the road so he could die in peace. When Henry returned to the regiment he told everybody he was grazed by a Musket ball in the head in the big retreat. After his wound bandaged up they went to attack the Confederate solders. Henry led the charge. When they beat them he was given the flag to bring back to the General.
This book was one of the best book I read this year because it was very exciting and you always wanted to know what was going to happen and the action never stopped. I highly recommend this book to everybody who likes books based in the time of the Civil War and you like classics.

Student Book Review:


Red Badge of Courage, The - classic

by: Stephen Crane


Review done by:

 Andy Nortrup
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

I read the book, The Red Badge of Courage . This novel is a classic and takes place in the Civil War. The main character, Henry Flemming, joins the Union Army (the Northern side) to get rid of slavery. In the book, they really never mention that that is what they are fighting for, but if you know your history, it goes without saying.
When he decides to join, he tells his mother. At first, she is silent, but after a while, she begins to think about it and respects his decision. When he is thinking about it again, he fears that he will be cowardly and afraid. When he gets to be on the scene, he talks to some of his fellow soldiers and begins to make friends with them. One of the people that he becomes very good friends with is a man named Jim Conklin. Jim is a very tall man that receives a lot of respect from other soldiers. He is a leader in this book, not in rank, but in stamina and courage. Henry ran away from the war and doesn't look back, or so he thinks. When Henry and another man are walking with another man, he finds his good friend, Jim, bleeding in the road, dying. Henry and the loud soldier he was standing with helped Jim off the road and into the field next to the road where Jim can die in peace. This sets him off. That is one of many exciting scenes in the book along with war scenes, dramatic scenes, and happy scenes. This novel is a great variety of a lot of different things.
Another fantastic scene is when Henry and another good friend of Henry's, Wilson are in a war scene. Henry is waving his flag and running around furiously with the most courage you see from in than in the whole book. When he and Wilson are running and screaming and shooting with renewed vengeance from their flag bearer's death, they do things they never thought they could do. After they are done fighting they are sitting by a fire and are talking about things that Wilson says he heard but didn't. They talk about things like how the colonel and lieutenant were saying that they were the best and most pride-filled soldiers on the field. This makes Henry feel good about himself. Wilson was a very good friend to Henry.
This book was a fun book to read and I would recommend it to people who like, or don't like to read. I say this because it shows what a real war is like and it held my interest. The Red Badge of Courage is an all around great novel, classic that is.

Red Badge of Courage, The - classic

by: Stephen Crane


Review done by:

 Kevin R
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

A great classic, that I have read, is The Red Badge of Courage. This novel is very interesting, and it takes place during the Civil War. This is a difficult book. But if you would like to challenge yourself, this would be a great pick. And it is highly recommended by me.
Henry Flemming, the main character, is afraid that he won't have enough courage to fight in the battles. Henry is a young boy who has just enlisted in the Army, and he is not sure about what to do. Not only is he afraid, but his fellow soldiers are scared also. They are afraid to die. In the first week that Henry is in the Army, the captain tells them that they are moving out. Once they hear that, the soldiers are ecstatic. There is so much excitement. But the only person that isn't to crazy about it is Henry. When they are moving to their destination, there is much talk of disappointment and excitement. When they are half way there, they can all hear gunshots. And that's when they all got so nervous. It was like their brains clicked on to something else. But for some other people, they got into the action. They wanted to fight. They are ready for the action. When they started to fight the other Army, Henry's mind went dead. He is seeing his own friends dying, and getting stabbed by those sharp bayonets. The bayonets have blood pouring off the sharp blades. It is hard for a young teenager to see all of this horror. When all of this is going on, he saw many of the other soldiers dropping their weapons, and running for their lives. They are running into the woods where it is safe.
When all of these catastrophes were going on, Henry dropped his weapon, and ran like the wind. It is like nothing is in his way. All he wants to do, is get into the woods where it was nice and safe. He can't stand seeing his own friends dying like that. He is only a boy. He isn't old enough to see those different things. I'm glad that Henry ran away. It helped him in the long run. If you want to know what happens, read THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE. By Stephen Crane.
This book is very electrifying, and I could not put it down. When the war scene had occurred, I could picture it exactly right in front of me. If you want the same action I had reading this book, then you should read it. As I said before, I definitely recommend this novel to anyone. I give this book a 10!!
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